


An Extraordinary Chance

by BridgetMcKennitt



Category: Hikaru no Go
Genre: Canon - Anime, Canon Compliant, Friendship, Gen, Hiatus Treat, Rivalry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-22
Updated: 2014-03-22
Packaged: 2018-01-16 13:31:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1349152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BridgetMcKennitt/pseuds/BridgetMcKennitt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ogata could see the rising potential in Shindou. He wasn't the only one who saw it, but Ogata was going to make sure he used that potential to his advantage.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Extraordinary Chance

**Author's Note:**

  * For [muuchan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/muuchan/gifts).



Ogata lit another cigarette and put it between his lips as he watched Shindou play Go with the other insei in the park. He just so happen to come across them, but now that he was here, he wasn't going anywhere. He had sponsored Shindou to become an insei months ago, a move that he did not regret. There was something about the boy that intrigued him. Not just him, but Akira as well.

Shindou laughed as his fellow insei did something on the Go board. Ogata wished he was closer to see their board, but that would alert them to his presence and he didn't want that. He wanted to see how Shindou progressed while he was in his own element.

Shindou let out a groan as his opponent laughed and they began clearing the board. Ogata ground his cigarette near the trash can before throwing it away. Shindou's matches were odd. There was potential in him, but not enough to justify why Akira thought of him as a rival or the glimmers of a player lurking beneath the skin who was a genius at Go.

He snorted and turned to head towards his car. There would be more opportunities to check out Shindou's game later.

*

Ogata checked out Shindou's kifu one day while he was at the Japanese Go Association building. Not every game had a recording, but there was enough to leave Ogata even more confused about Shindou. While he was rising through the lower ranks, none of his moves showed the promise that he had seen from earlier.

Who was Shindou Hikaru?

Ogata sighed as he placed the papers on the desk. There was more to this story than what he could see, and Ogata wanted to see the entire picture.

He stopped on the floor where the insei were practicing and peered inside through the door. In the corner of the room, Ogata spotted Shindou in deep concentration as he stared at the Go board in front of him. He couldn't see everything on the board, but it looked like Shindou was losing so far. He sighed. Still, he was glad he sponsored Shindou to become an insei. It was easier to keep track of him here instead of somewhere else.

Ogata took the elevator down to the lobby and as he exited the building, he took out his packet of cigarettes and pulled out a cigarette. He lit it and brought it to his lips, taking a long drag before releasing the smoke into the air. There would be time to judge Shindou's true strength. The pro exam wasn't that far away and Ogata felt confident in Shindou that he would make a good showing during the exam, if not pass on his first try.

*

Shindou passed.

Shindou was a pro and Touya Meijin retired and Shindou's fate swirled heavily and mysteriously around with Sai. Ogata wanted to play against Sai, like Touya Meijin so obviously did through Internet Go, but Shindou refused to even admit that he knew the Go player.

What was going on?

Ogata was not the only one to be intrigued by Shindou Hikaru. There were other pros who also circled around the boy, like Kuwabara sensei or Kurata sensei. However, none more than Akira circled around Shindou, even though he tried to resist their connection.

Ogata chuckled. There was no sense in resisting when a strong rival made Go that much better. Akira was good, great even, but Shindou would help Akira grow to the highest of heights. Ogata wondered if and how Shindou would shape his own future. After all, he suspected Shindou had something to do with the retirement of Touya Meijin, now just Touya Kouyou, and that was a wave that crashed hard and powerful within the Go world.

He got in his car and drove towards the Japanese Go Association building. Shindou was back to playing his matches. Whatever was in his head was gone now and he was playing like he was driven by something powerful. This was the time of change and Ogata planned on using it to his advantage. Shindou was part of that new wave. While Ogata already had two titles under his belt, he wanted more titles and Shindou would help him achieve that goal.

The matches had already begun by the time he arrived. Ogata took off his shoes and placed them in the cubicle before heading towards the floor where the matches were. He had enough time to watch Shindou and see how his strength had grown.

Ogata walked into the room, careful to not disturb the players who were focused on their own matches. He made his way to Shindou and stood behind him. The stones on the board revealed a story, like all Go matches did. Shindou was slightly behind his opponent, but with Shindou's next stone, just like that, they were even. Judging by the widening of his opponent's eyes, the man did not expect it. Neither did Ogata, but then again, by now, he expected Shindou to make surprising moves that turned the match in his favor. It was a curious ability of his, like there was another person hiding within him.

Ogata shook his head. No, that didn't make sense. Shindou was just Shindou. He was not Sai or anyone else.

Still. There truly was something extraordinary about Shindou Hikaru and while Ogata was still curious about how Shindou was connected to Sai, he could wait. He was a patient man and there was a bigger fish in the horizon.

Ogata glanced at the clock and headed out of the room. There was a few more minutes before lunch would be called and he didn't want Shindou to find out he was there. Not yet.

*

Ogata thought for a moment before placing a white stone on the board. Akira sat across from him while Shindou kept the record of their practice game. Or tried to as Shindou kept staring at the board before looking up at Akira. They didn't say anything to each other, but as they glared and their faces made expressive movements like they were having a silent conversation with each other.

Akira scowled as he dipped his hand into the bowl to pick up a black stone. The move he made had Shindou nodding his head as he recorded it on a piece of paper. Ogata wanted to laugh. While he was the one playing Akira, it felt like Akira was truly playing Shindou. Or maybe playing _for_ Shindou was the better phrase. Ogata had played Shindou numerous times over the years, both in their professional and personal lives, and Akira had never acted like this before. Akira was acting childish in a way he had never been before, not even when he was a small child. Akira had always been composed.

As soon as the game ended with Ogata winning by a few points, Shindou immediately launched into what Akira did wrong. Ogata raised his eyebrow as Akira shouted back at him. Ogata leaned back and reached for a cup of tea while the boys argued with one another.

"Shindou." Shindou looked up at Ogata. "May I play you next?"

"Oh! Sure, Mr. Ogata." Shindou helped Akira clear the board and took Akira's place. This time it was Akira's turn to record the game.

Shindou was growing to be more and more of a match for Akira. They had only played a few stones, but Ogata could see it as clear as day. Akira though would never let Shindou be Ogata's rival. He could only stand back and watch them both grow into the men they'd become, into their Go potential.

In the meanwhile, he'd be right there with them, using their strength to improve his own Go.


End file.
